History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families, Part 74

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895
Number of Pages: 1532

USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 74
USA > Texas > Galveston County > Galveston > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of the cities of Houston and Galveston; containing a concise history of the state, with protraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named cities, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 74

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Upon the advance of the Texas forces, Cortina retired into Mexico, and soon after, young Fulton, with ten gallant and adven- turous young men who had accompanied this expedition, went on horseback, by way of El Paso, into Mexico, Arizona and New Mexico, and spent eleven months in those countries, encountering many dangers and difficulties, both from roving bands of Mexi- cans and tribes of warlike Apache Indians, in one of which battles twenty-odd Indians were killed, and young Fulton was shot through the thigh with an arrow, from which he still carries an honorable scar.

Ascertaining, while in Arizona, that the Civil war between the North and South was in progress, he hastened to his home in Caldwell county, Texas, and joined a cav-

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alry company in the Confederate States service, in which he was chosen a Lieuten- ant. Later on he was elected a Captain, and, his command being sent to Louisiana to meet the threatened advance of General Banks into Texas, he saw hard service in that campaign, in which he had two horses shot from under him, and was highly com- plimented by the officers in command, both for his courage and devotion to duty.

After the surrender (or "break-up ") of the Trans-Mississippi forces congregated at Houston, Texas, many excesses were com- mitted in Houston by the disbanded Con- federate soldiers, half starved and desperate at the result of the struggle in which they had been so long engaged; but Captain Ful- ton kept his company together, and, using them as a police force, guarded the persons and property of the citizens until every straggling soldier had left the city. After giving each of his company an honorable discharge, and bidding each of thein a sad farewell, he returned to Lockhart, where he again engaged in commercial pursuits until the latter part of 1867, when he went to Galveston, where he has since resided.

Finding in Galveston many of his old soldier friends, with whom he was a prime favorite, he soon became the leader of the young Democracy of the Southern section of the State, and in 1869 he was put for- ward by. that party as a candidate for Con- gress from the Galveston district. Nearly every newspaper in the district advocated his claims for the position, but owing to the fact that several other candidates of tlie same political faith came into the contest, which jeopardized the success of the Demo- cratic party, and threatened the election of an extreme Republican to Congress, Captain Fulton, although the acknowledged favorite,

withdrew from the contest for the purpose of securing harmony in the Democratic ranks. Other candidates on the Demo- cratic side refused to follow his disinterested example and caused the election of a Repub- lican in the district.

Upon his withdrawal as a candidate for Congress, a strong pressure was brought to bear upon him, by the press and people of the State, to-become the Democratic stand- ard-bearer for Governor of Texas, but he steadfastly refused, upon the ground that his experience in public affairs was too limited to justify his entering upon such a contest. .

Having been for some years a writer of acknowledged ability for some of the lead- ing newspapers of the country, he was in 1872 employed by Colonel Willard Richard- son, proprietor of the Galveston News, the leading Democratic paper of Texas, if not of the South, as one of the editors of that paper, and continued in that position until he was nominated by the Democracy of Gal- veston as a candidate for Mayor, when he sent in his resignation, claiming in that document that he regarded his candidacy for the most important office within the gift of the people of the city as incompatible with the duties that devolved upon him as an impar- tial chronicler and commentator of current events in a first-class newspaper. During his connection with the Galveston News, Captain Fulton waged a merciless and ex- terminating war against corruption, both in high and low places, and it was not to be expected that the corporations, combina- tions and rings that had their grip upon the throats of the people would submit to his election, if fair or foul means could be suf- ficiently invoked to prevent it. All that money could do to accomplish his defeat was

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done; not only did his enemies induce a man who was a delegate in the convention that unanimously nominated him to become a candidate against him, but by a fabulous ex- penditure of money induced the Repblicans to nominate their candidate against him. Because of his late warfare in the News, on capitalistic "rings" in Galveston, his enc- mies undertook. in the press and otherwise, to make it appear that Captain Fulton was a communist and agrarian by principle, and was seeking to array the poor against the rich, to the detriment of the established order of things, and to the damage of the welfare of the country. Notwithstanding the falsity of these charges, unsustained by a single utterance he had ever made, they had a certain effect on the more conserva- tive voting elements of the city, and, to- gether with the countless thousands of dol- lars that were spent to debauch voters and judges of elections, resulted in his being counted out by twelve votes. The frauds perpetrated in the vote and the count be- came the by-word of all honest citizens, and not even the enemies of Captain Fulton had the hardihood to dispute that he was elected, though he was robbed for two years of the fruits of his well-merited victory.

Two years later Captain Fulton was again nominated for Mayor, and, although the same influences were used against him, and he was opposed by such a popular can- didate as ex-Governor F. R. Lubbock, he was triumphantly elected by a majority of 2,533 votes.

In his appointment to office he brought confusion upon his enemies by appointing such men as forbade the thought that he was imbued with any other than patriotic prin- ciples in his aspirations for place and power. For instance, he nominated for City Col-

lector his opponent for the nomination, ex- Governor F. R. Lubbock; for City Engineer, General Braxton Bragg; and for City Attor- ney, ex-Congressman and ex-Supreme Judge A. H. Willie; and others of almost equal repute to fill all the other offices. With such heads of departments, it was next to impossible for the adininistration to be other- wise than successful. At its beginning city script was being hawked about the streets at fifty cents on the dollar; at its close all the city's promises to pay were paid at par by the City Treasurer. At its beginning the sanitary condition was a stench in the nos- trils of the community; at its close, two years later, it was acknowledged by press and people to be better than was ever be- fore known. And so it was in every other department of the city government.

But in other respects he came into office at a fortunate time, -at a time when he had an opportunity to do Galveston, Texas and the South great good by cultivating amicable relations with Northern capitalists and peo- ple. In 1875 he received an invitation from the mayor of Boston to accept the hospital- ities during the celebration of the centennial of the battle of Bunker Hill.

He visited Boston and participated with great credit in all of the festivities of that extraordinary occasion, and at the conclu- sion of the celebration, by invitation of the mayors of New Haven, New York, Phila- delphia and other great cities, he was the official guest of many of the largest cities in the country, and by his popular inanners, his intelligence and his broad, patriotic views he did much to allay the bitter jealousies and animosities engendered by the war, and to invite capital and emigration. to the South.

He also, in accordance with a resolution

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of the City Council of Galveston, which resolution recites the fact of his accomplish- ing much good by a former trip North, vis- ited Philadelphia, and was a guest of the city authorities of that " City of Brotherly Love,' during the Centennial celebration of 1876, and again, by invitations of the mayors before mentioned, he revisited, with his family, and was the guest of, the cities he had formerly visited. The complimentary mentions of Mayor Fulton, by the press of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Haven, etc., during his sojourn in the North and East, offer satisfactory evidence of the creditable manner in which he discharged the delicate duties of representing properly, in these centers of wealth, culture and population, the best elements of the sentiment and man- hood of Texas and the South.

Upon the expiration of the term of his office, his friends desired that he might again submit his name to the Democratic conven- tion for a renomination, but he declined to do so, insisting that if the people at large, without regard to political considerations, desired to retain his services, they could do so at the ballot-box, but not through con- vention manipulations. Notwithstanding this determination, and the subsequent action of the Democratic convention in nominating a most unexceptionable candi- date for the position, and the fact of another ex-mayor running for the office on the inde- pendent ticket, quite a large number of his old friends, regardless of the fact of the certain election of the Democratic nominee, voted for him on election day, as a testimonial of their unwavering confidence and esteem.

While the speculating element of the people of Galveston, -those who desired to use the city government to further their own

selfish schemes for plundering the honest tax-payers of their legitimate possessions, - were delighted to see Mayor Fulton retired from the head of the city government, a great number of the best citizens deplored the event, for the reason that they knew him to be the personification of honesty, and knew that he would permit no jobbery in the administration as long as he could prevent it. - In all the wicked war of villifi- cation and misrepresentation that had been waged against him by those whose dishonest schemes he had exposed and thwarted, no person or newspaper had ever had the hard- ihood to so much as insinuate that he was wanting in personal honesty or official in- tegrity. Is it not surprising, therefore, that at the next succeeding election a large num - ber of persons who desired to have at the head of the city government a man above suspicion should seek to induce Captain Ful- ton to again permit the use of his name for the office? But he declined for the reason that he knew that the honest elements were not sufficiently solidified to contend with the sinister influences that were at work to get certain legislation of doubtful validity through the council, which same it was known he would oppose to the bitterest ex- tremity in the event of his election.

For the same reason he was unsuccess- ful, two years later, in overcoming the ad- verse tide of "ring" manipulation; but in 1883-six years after the ending of his first term of office-the honest masses, becoming again disgusted with the methods of succes- sive administration, called in thunder tones for Captain Fulton to again come to the res- cue, which he did; and he was elected by 984 majority, in spite of the vast amount spent to accomplish his defeat.

In 1885 another similar fight was made

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against him, and such frauds practiced at the ballot-box, through a lavish use of money, as to cause every honest Galves- tonian's face to blush with shame. Fraud triumphed, however, for only a short season (one month), when it was overthrown by an honest election, and Mayor Fulton was again re-elected by a majority of 825 votes. In 1887 another effort was made, by the same influences, to overthrow the "Old Re- liable," as Mayor Fulton has come to be called, but it was no use, as he was again re-elected by 1, 146 plurality, three candi- dates being in the field against him. And again in 1889, with two formidable candi- dates in the field against him, he was re- elected by a plurality vote of 853 and a majority vote of 347 over both of his oppon- ents.

In 1891 Captain Fulton was re-elected Mayor of Galveston and served until June, 1893, at which time he was again a candi- date for the office, but was defeated by Dr. A. W. Fly. He thus served as Mayor of this city twelve years, being re-elected for five consecutive terms. It is a notable fact that he is the only man who has ever been elected to the office for more than one term since the war.

And it would be interesting, just here, to consider the peculiar characteristics of this "man of the people," and find if we can the secret of the power that he has shown him- self able at all times to exercise over his fel- low-citizens, for the betterinent of local self- government and the general welfare of the people. It certainly cannot be claimed by any one that the influence he has shown himself able to wield comes from the lavish use of money, for it is known to every one in Galveston, and to people generally else- where, that Mayor Fulton has been a poor

man ever since he entered public life. Nor has he ever been patronized in his political undertakings by the wealthy or powerful of Galveston or elsewhere, for the reason that all who know him are perfectly aware that he cannot be induced, for any consideration, to do the bidding of any person, company or corporation, in his official capacity, un- less he conscientiously believes that what is asked for is for the benefit of the community at large. If proof of this is wanted it can be had in abundance by a perusal of his many able veto messages, all of which breathe the same spirit of adherence to the political motto he has always acted upon as a public man, -"The greatest good to the greatest number of honest and law-abiding citizens." And it is doubtless to his firm and undeviating adherence to this, principle in political and official life, that he owes most of the success he has attained in pub- lic affairs, as well as his long-continued popularity with all classes of good citizens in Texas.

It is his pride and his boast that fortune so cast his lot that he was compelled, in his boyhood and youth, to work hard in the cotton and corn fields of his native State, and it is to the experiences of this early training and his mothers's fortitude and example under adverse fortune that he at -. tributed largely the sympathy he has always felt and expressed for the toiling millions, whose future for weal or for woe so greatly depends upon the statesmanship of the law- makers of this and other governments of the world.

It was the strong sympathy so often expressed in his public utterances that brought down upon his devoted head from the hirelings of capitalistic power the im- putation that his political views were of a

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communistic and agrarian tendency, and that his utterances on this subject were the conceptions and the voicings of the dema- gogue.

In defending himself against such a charge, he, in 1879, in an open letter ad- dressed to parties who had written to him upon the subject, so eloquently vindicated himself in the estimation of all just-minded men, that a sketch of his life would scarcely be complete without giving a brief extract from this letter. It is as follows:

"Whatever political issue I have at- tempted to make in Galveston was not that of 'labor against capital', but the more comprehensive one of honest against dis- honest methods' of transacting official and other public business. And in iny efforts in. that behalf, -in organizing the forces to carry out my views of political duty, -neither the wealth of the man, the poverty of the inan, the nationality of the man, nor the oc- cupation of the man, has had anything to do with the estimate I placed upon him as a factor of the body politic.

"The question with me was whether or not he was in favor of the perpetuation of the rule of a corrupt, speculating 'ring,' who were adding to their ill-gotten wealth by dishonest methods of transacting official and other public business. If yea, I wished no further political fellowship with him. If nay, then I desired to have him as a politi- cal ally, whether he was rich or poor, learned or unlearned.

"This is my political creed; this is the kind of demagogue I am, if demagoguery you can call it; this is the extent of my com- munistic sentiments, and this is the head and front of my offending' against the capitalists of Galveston."

But the influence of Captain Fulton, as a public man, has not been confined to his connection with the city government of Galveston. It has been his good fortune to

fill many places of honor and trust, and al- ways with fidelity to his constituency. He has been chosen as a delegate to almost every Democratic State convention held since the war, over some of which he has had the honor to preside, and in others has occupied positions on the Committee on Platforms and Resolutions, and at other places on the State Executive Committee, and at all was an influential factor in shap- ing the policy of the Democratic party of the State.

He also, as the representative of the city, during his mayoralty, filled for ten years the position of Wharf Company di- rector, and a director in the City Railroad Company, and for over eight years was a Trustee in the public free schools of Gal- veston. He has also been for six years the president of the Board of Health of Galves- ton, and, for some time, a trustee of the Texas Medical College and Hospital, -all of which positions have given him a great knowledge of men and affairs.

The fame and popularity of Mayor Ful- ton is not confined to Galveston, or, for that matter, to the State of Texas. Con- sidering the fact that he has never held a State or national office, he is perhaps better known throughout Texas than any other public man; and it is doubtful if there are any in Texas (who have not attained to higher official stations) who are more widely known outside of the State. If space per- mitted we could give abundant proof of this fact from letters and telegrams sent to him from the leading public men throughout the United States, congratulating him upon his several elections as Mayor of Galveston, as well as from the great number of compli- mentary editorial mentions he has received from the leading newspapers of the country

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during his public career; but we must con- tent ourselves with quoting from two leading newspapers, one representing the sentiment of the industrial classes of Texas, and the other the opinion entertained of Mayor Ful- ton by those with whom he came in contact while a delegate representing Galveston at the Deep Water Convention, at Denver, in 1888.

The Texas Farmer, published at Dallas, Texas, is, to all intents and purposes, the organ of the farmers of the State, and especially so of the Grangers and Patrons of Husbandry. During the time its editorial inanagement was under the direction of Cap- tain J. F. Fuller, of Belton, Texas, who was at the time also the traveling orator of the Patrons of Husbandry, that gentleman, as the editor of the Farmer, wrote and published the following, as representing the views of the fanners of the State of Texas:

"Hon. John H. Reagan cheerfully ad- mits that he has an ambition to become Governor of Texas. This is not strange, when we remember that such men as Hon. Barnett Gibbs aspire to the same honor. The wisest of our wise men might justly feel proud to occupy the executive office of so great a State, and, judging from the nia- terial politicians sometimes suggest for the head of State affairs, it would not be pre- sumptuous for any well-informed, practical- minded citizen to aspire to such an honor.

"But if the Farmer wanted to name a man for the next Governor of Texas, -and it may as well as others have a weakness that way,-there is one name we would suggest. - the very synonyin of official honor and in- tegrity, a man who, in his official career, has done more to reform abuses, expose fraud and vindicate the rights of his fellow- citizens than any man in the State. Pos- sessing to an eminent degree those high qualities of mind and heart that fit a man

for executive duties in these days of politi- cal flunkyism, his administration would mark an epoch in the annals of Texas history that would at once become the pride of the Lone Star State, and enshrine his name in the affections of liis countrymen. Passing through the war with distinction for his brave and generous soldierly qualities, and in the civil service, having evinced those high qualities and civic virtues, -moral courage and devotion to principle, -he is conspicuously marked as the man of the hour, distinguished in many particulars above his fellows. To mention him is simply to record the name of Hon. R. L. Fulton, Mayor of the city of Galveston. We know no man in the broad limits of Texas more eminently fitted for executive honors and duties than Mr. Fulton. Schooled on the farm in early life to economical habits, and trained in the severe ordeal as Galveston's executive in its conflict with rings and fraud- ulent intrigues to despoil the city and rob its people, he stands the embodiment of cour- ageous inanhood and devotion to duty. Mayor Fulton does not, so far as we know, aspire to gubernatorial honors, and he will not, perhaps, thank us for this notice; they may never be bestowed upon him, and the Farmer but little hopes to be influential in such an issue; but his name belongs not alone to Galveston, but to all Texas; and as a friend to the common people, an unyield- ing advocate of the greatest good to the greatest number, as an upholder of honest government, an economical expenditure of public money, we exercise the right to men- tion him as a friend to his race, as an hon- est inan, possessing a strong, vigorous in- tellect and a shrewd political sagacity that mark him as one of the most useful public men of the day."

In 1888 Mayor Fulton, with other lead- ing men of Galveston, went as delegate to the Deep Water Convention, at Fort Worth, and a few months later to an Inter-State Deep Water Convention, held at Denver, Colorado, where they met and became ac-

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quainted with many of the leading men of all the States and Territories west of the Mississippi. To show what kind of an im- pression Mayor Fulton makes upon those with whom he comes in contact on such occasions, and the reputation he bears out- side of the State in which he lives, it is only necessary to quote a brief but significant editorial mention of him, appearing in the Denver (Colorado) News, on the occasion of his fifth election to the Mayoralty, in June, 1889. It is as follows:

"Hon. R. L. Fulton has been re-elected Mayor of Galveston, and enters upon his fifth term. It is seldom that a municipal officer receives so magnificent an indorse- ment at the hands of the people. In this instance, however, the News is glad to re- mark that the indorsement is fully deserved. Mayor Fulton is one of the most capable of the public men of Texas, or of the entire Southwest, for that matter. He is a man of high personal character, rare executive ability and fine business capacity. Further- more, he is a gentleman of courtly manners, a brilliant conversationalist, and a most agreeable companion. He has not only given Galveston an honest, capable and well-ordered administration, but he has been active in forwarding all the great enterprises in which the city is interested and on which her future so much depends. Galveston is fortunate in possessing so excellent an off- cial, and in having the good sense to retain him in the difficult position he has so long and so worthily filled."

Many important advances were made in the city's affairs during Captain Fulton's twelve years' service as Mayor. These ad- vances, together with an account of his stew- ardship in general, are so clearly and con- cisely set forth in the remarks made by him on the occasion of his turning over the city government to his successor, in June, 1893,

that they will bear repetition in this place. He said :

"GENTLEMEN OF THE COUNCIL: We have met to formally transfer the govern- ment of the municipality to the hands of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, elected by the people on the 5th instant.

"Before introducing to you my successor in office I wish to extend to the members of the outgoing board, over which I have pre- sided for the past two years, my thanks for their uniform courtesy and kindness and my congratulations on the successful inaugura- tion of the very important works of public improvement authorized during their term of office. In laying down my public duties and retiring to private life after presiding over the deliberations of this body continuously for a period of ten years, it gives me great satisfaction to recall the advances made by this community during that time in social progress and material development.

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Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895 Number of Pages: 1532

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago, The Lewis publishing co., 1895
Number of Pages: 1532